We review the Volkswagen Amarok pick-up truck from price to economy and all its features

VW's monster pick-up is brilliantly brutish

Road Test

by Nick Francis

1st June 2016, 3:39 pm

Updated: 8th February 2017, 2:01 pm

IT’S not often a major manufacturer weathers the storm of an emissions scandal, only to bring out a new vehicle with an even bigger engine.

But VW has done just that as its latest brutish Amarok pick-up truck, which goes on sale in September, shuns the relatively puny 2-litre TDI unit of old for a monster 221bhp 3-litre V6 diesel.

The result is a 5.25m-long workhorse that will dash from 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds and go on to a top speed of 120mph.

CO2 emissions are down and fuel economy up thanks to aerodynamic and exhaust revisions

Surprisingly, CO2 emissions are down and fuel economy up thanks to aerodynamic and exhaust revisions.

It’s good news for customers who use their “premium pick-up” for motorway slogs rather than farmyard frolics.

VW knows its audience, so it offers the car with a road-friendly 4x2 set-up (from 2017) or a rough-and-ready 4Motion system that detects the best time to deploy all-wheel drive.

It’s impressive in the wilderness, happily tackling slopes of 45 degrees, water up to half a metre deep and nasty articulation angles — especially when the optional mechanical differential lock is fitted.

But it remains really familiar inside for those stepping out of an estate or an SUV. There is VW’s touchscreen infotainment system, navigation, optional leather, along with the ability to tether smartphones to access apps on the move.

It feels massive on the road and it’s no limousine on longer journeys

It is only available in a double cab set-up, so there is definitely room for the kids, while the rear flatbed can be specified with a roll-top to keep the weather out or a neat hard-top system that turns it into a giant estate.

But before you rush out and flog the family hatchback, it’s worth pointing out this is still a pick-up, so it feels massive on the road and it’s no limousine on longer journeys.

The 4x2 versions reportedly boast a more comfortable suspension but the hardcore 4Motion leaf springs still felt pretty bouncy on the open road.

Nissan’s rival Navara NP300, for example, has opted for a 5-link independent suspension system in some models, which vastly improves the ride.

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But you don’t buy a pick-up to waft up and down the motorway. You buy it to lug loads and the Amarok is pretty sorted in this department.

It can happily shift a payload of more than a ton and tow 3,500kg without busting a gut.

And it also looks the bee’s bananas. Specify it in the Aventura trim and you get monster 20in wheels, body- coloured sports bar, gorgeous bi-xenon lights at the front and the option of bolting four high-powered lamps to the roof for the full mud-plugging package.